Last fall I bought a condo at Anna Maria Island Fl. Now since I got an American adress and bank account, I think about buying me a Pontiac . ( Car rental will be 1000-1500 a year )
What woud be the best choice? Witch wil be most reliable one? Found some cars in the 5000 -15000 $

I'd pick myself a nice G8 if you can afford it. Last of the decent Pontiac performance cars and comes with 4 doors. Bacially an imported Holden Monaro from Australia. 2nd Choice would be a newer (also imported) GTO but they are hard to find either not modified to death or an expensive Garage Queen.

12000 -15000$ will be the amount to use for a car beeing used tree weeks, twice a year.
I know Honda,Toyota and Nissan, they are dull but reliable. (Idon't like European cars.)

I have never owned a G8, but have rented them on numerous occasions. IMHO, I think they were horribly built. The doors rattle, the seats are uncomfortable, and the engines were underpowered. This is from a guy that has owned and driven Grand Prix's for the last 18 years. I keep looking for low mileage 2008 GP GXP's as that is one of my all time favorite cars to own and drive. I need to grab a few while they are still around to last me for the next 30 years.

I would HIGHLY recommend a 2006-2008 Grand Prix GXP.

I hate to say this but rent a Camaro SS convertible. We rented one in Hawaii and it was a blast to drive. Good power and loads of fun when you turn the traction control off. Really lit the tires up lol.

I rented a Camaro cab in 2012, but I had to upgrade to a bigger car when my wife tryed to fit ouer suitcases in the Camaro.
Rember my budget.10-15000$
Who made the G6 convirtible ?

Pontiac

Did Chevrolet made a Convirtible like the G6 ?

The newish GTO's are a blast to drive

Are you talking about renting for the time or buying something? It sounded like the latter to me.

I have never been to Anna Marie Island, looks like it's a little North of Punta Gorda. Should be beautiful there- Congrats! I hope to get to Punta sometime this summer.

I vote for the GP GXP- they are awesome cars and you wont break the bank. Just make sure you get the sunroof!

Salmon38, So far i payed $500-700 for 3-weeks for a rental. On the plus side I got a new car.
If I buy a used reliable car, hopfully it will be cheaper in the long run.

Sleddog, Thank you. AnnaMaria is lovely and relaxed, Google: SunBow Bay. Jimc2002 has a GP and I liked it, But I want a Convirtible as my first choose.( Driving topless summer in Norway and "winter" in Florida).

HI there buddy (sucking up starts now),

Have you looked at all your costs? Purchase, registration, insurance, storage? Can you write-off your expenses?

I'm currently available 7x24x365 to occupy said condo should you require my couch and refrigerator usage services when your not in town.

I'm serious...

I thought you loved your six foot deep snow drifts up there.. :O)

Gus68, .Have no idea regarding registration and insurance. I have parking under the building. and thinking of a good car cover.
I still have 2- 4 year untill I can retire, the plan so far is 3 weeks in the spring and 3 weeks in the fall. until I retire.
(I am renting out the apartment in the winter seson and hopfully in the summer seson)

I can't think of a late model Pontiac convertible with enough stones that would make it fun to drive for me. Based on what you have said so far, I would suggest a Mustang GT 'vert. Camaro 'verts with that way high beltline just look strange to me. Not to mention that OMG Kim K. butt on those things.

2002 T/A 'vert would be nice... But just for one or two occupants. Maybe that doesn't matter.

I like the 2002 T/A cab. anyone know how mutch insuranse and other normal costs fore a year?

There are so many variables for insurance, but I'd guess somewhere in the range of $800 - $1500 per year. May be less if you tell them it's only driven a few weeks out of the year.

We had 2 snow days this year. It's been 5-10 degrees above zero for almost 3 weeks now. It rained 3 times in January which is very odd. Guess I can't complain. I almost bought a big parka and snow boots at xmas. Lucky this year!

whichever car you get, enjoy the place there! I probably would pick the Solstice , but...its not a very "good" car when it comes to luggage , groceries etc...but fun.

You could get a Solstice/Sky and do a V8 conversion!

I noticed one of the cars in your pictures is a G6 convertible. I have a 2006 GTP convertible. It is a great car to drive and would recommend them. It gets lots of compliments.

69fyrbrd, Is there anything i shoud beaware of regarding the G6 ?
Have Pontiac made this convertible from scratch ?
How often do you need to change the timing belt ?

G6 Verts have had some roof linkage issues.
Some of the parts are discontinued and get'n hard to find.

Oh ya, both 4 and 6 cylinders use a timing chain.

Our son had a used G6 coupe for a couple months between his two 4th Gen Camaros. It seemed like a good car with the only issue being a leak in the sunroof. I remember fixing that. He has some back problems and could not get comfortable in the bucket seat they use in the G6 or find any solution so he sold it. I drove it a couple times and liked it.
Although not available as a convert, my Grand Prix GXP is holding up well. It has a couple design annoyances but the positives far outweigh those annoyances.

The G6 was a Saab body I believe. It is very solid for a convertible with no body shudder on the road. Mine is a 3.9 litre with a four speed auto. I believe there was also a 6 speed manual version. I have not had any leaking with the roof. It is very quiet on the highway just like a normal car and rides really quiet with little wind with the top down. The only issue I have had with the top is when it is up and at slow speeds the sections rattle together a little. That does not happen over 40 kmph.
It is my daily driver in the summer and I store it in the winter. I have only put about 40 k on it. No trunk when the top is down.
If you are interested in renting out your place post the info on the FGF site. I just retired last summer and am thinking about seasonal rental for about a month each winter. Florida is a great state for car enthusiasts. There are lots of interesting things in Florida besides the beach and the amusement parks.
Enjoy!

Jim, can you elaborate on the small issues? Just curious if anything I've noticed. I really can't think of anything with mine.

I'll email you.